Sports Bar News

Vegas-style Sportsbook sports bar takes a gamble on Dallas' Bishop Arts

Wings at Sportsbook in Oak Cliff.

scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net

Dallas' Bishop Arts has restaurants, bars, theaters, and shops — and now it has an upscale sports bar. Called Sportsbook, it's a new concept in the former Krio space at 233 W. 7th St., now serving sandwiches, wings, beer, and sports on TV.

Sportsbook was founded in 2024 with a mission to provide a premier sports viewing experience with a diverse menu in a nicely-appointed environment. Features include 24 high-definition TVs — 17 inside and 7 outside — and their signature motif: a huge sports ticker displaying the latest scores and stats.

The new hangout is from Dan Bui and Connie Cheng, the same team behind Krio, which closed in October 2023.

"We hoped Krio would last a long time but between the increase in food costs and difficulty in staffing, it was difficult to stay in business," Bui says. "I didn't see anything like this in Bishop Arts, and was excited about the idea of opening our first sports bar."

Their menu includes wings, mini corn dogs from Nathan's, plus burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, a BLT, patty melt, a taco salad and a Cobb. Fried appetizers, such as fried pickles and fried caulifower, are battered with rice flour.

"We use rice flour to make those dishes gluten-free, and using rice flour also gives a crispier result — it's a little lighter and airier, and the crust holds up better," he says.

Pretty much everything is priced between $11 and $15.

There's a full-service bar, with cocktails, frozen drinks, and non-alcoholic mocktails, and kids are welcome until 6 pm daily. Beers are $5 to $6, and cocktails such as a spritz with Greenhouse Artisan Gin, limoncello, prosecco, and Topo Chico are all $14 to $16.

Bui is a native of Houston who moved to Dallas to attend UTD, when he bartended at venues like Kismet, Candleroom, and Ghost Bar, befoe moving into management roles at Clear UltraLounge, The Bank, and Social House. In 2012, he launched his entrepreneurial journey with Sisu and later expanded his portfolio with Krio restaurant and the Atlas cocktail bars (in Bishop Arts and Fort Worth).

Wikipedia says that a sportsbook is a place where a gambler can wager on sports. They're very big in Las Vegas.

"With Mark Cuban selling a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Las Vegas casino owner Miriam Adelson, there's a lot of talk now in Dallas about legalized gambling, and we're playing on that theme of betting," Bui says. "You should see the huge ticker we installed, showing all the statistics on betting —it's very Vegas."

Escargot News

New all-day French bistro in downtown Rockwall is all from scratch

Facebook

Belle View Bistro Rockwall

An all-day French bistro has made its debut in Rockwall: Called Belle Vie Bistro, it’s a new mom-and-pop in the charming historic downtown district, at 112 E. Rusk St., the former home of The Fatted Calf restaurant, where it opened its doors on November 12.

Belle Vie is from Luis and Iliana Marquez, a hard-working couple who also own Los Marquez, a popular taco--themed food-truck-turned-restaurant in Rockwall they first debuted in 2019. In May, the couple took over the former Fat Chicken space to open a brick and mortar location of Los Marquez, where they serve well-made Mexican food like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but also burgers & fries. They open for breakfast with breakfast tacos, and run a daily lunch special, often creative, always popular, such as birria ramen with choice of beef or lamb for $11.

But the couple had a bigger vision of creating a place where chef Luis could stretch and showcase his skills.

"Luis has a lot of culinary experience, and it’s something that he’s been putting aside,” Iliana says. “We were just waiting on the perfect time to bring this to life.”

"This is something exciting and new for us, it’s something that we always wanted to make,” Luis says.

Like Los Marquez, Belle Vie is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving classics like French onion soup, moules frites, escargot, and duck confit. There are also comforting and American dishes like spinach-artichoke dip, crab cakes, and fish & chips.

Lunch features Cobb salad, a French dip, and chicken & Brie panini, while an extended breakfast -- which runs from 7 am to 4 pm — includes pancakes, waffles, eggs benedict, beignets French toast, and crepes, plus pastries and breads made from scratch.

Mural on the wall at Belle Vie Bistro RockwallFacebook

The bakery counter is a delight, with eclairs, croissants, scones, fruit tarts, and cake slices in flavors like carrot cake and white chocolate raspberry. There's also a serious coffee program with espresso drinks such as lattes.

"We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch," the duo says. "Our bread—whether for sandwiches, paninis, hamburgers or anything listed on our menu is made fresh just for us by our incredibly talented pastry chef and baker. The same care goes into our pastries and desserts ensuring every bite is special and crafted with love."

The dining room is warm and cozy with dark wood chairs and plush booths and a full-wall mural depicting a street in Paris. They also have a full bar, with cocktails and beer on tap. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $9 for a Belgian waffle during breakfast to $45 for prime ribeye at dinner.

For now, they're not taking reservations — it's first come, first serve.

openings